Daughter and her wealthy businessman dad ‘hired hitmen to shoot her ex-boyfriend dead after they broke up’

Rebecca Deferia, 30, allegedly arranged with her father for three hitmen to shoot Jonathan Catchpole, 38, at his home in return for a payment of at least £12,500

By ELLIE CAMBRIDGE

4th January 2017, 4:39 pm

Updated: 19th January 2017, 11:25 am

THE daughter of a wealthy businessman planned to have her former boyfriend killed after hatching a plan with her father, a court heard today.

Rebecca Deferia, 30, allegedly arranged the “careful and meticulous assassination” with her father for three hitmen to shoot Jonathan Catchpole, 38, at his home in return for a payment of at least £12,500.

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The gunmen escaped in a stolen car which they set on fire in a nearby isolated country lane with the shotgun in it in a bid to destroy evidence before returning to Dorset in Mr Seaton’s car, added Mr Jackson.

Within minutes of the shooting Mr Seaton made a phone call to Mr Baker to report they had “carried out the contract”, he said.

The court was told that Deferia had ended her five year relationship with Catchpole on June 2013.

She then changed the locks on the home they shared in Bury St Edmunds, preventing him from picking up his clothing and possessions, said Mr Jackson

Shortly after the couple split, Deferia and her father went to the Neptune Kitchens showroom in Bury St Edmunds where Mr Catchpole worked.

Deferia then went inside to speak to her former partner before she and her father emptied bin bags in the car park containing Mr Catchpole’s clothes and shoes which had been cut with scissors or a knife, said Mr Jackson.

Frank Warren, one of the men due to be paid in thousands of pounds in cash for carrying out the murder

Mr Jackson said: “It was say the prosecution no less than a briefing pack for the targeting of Mr Catchpole and his family and ultimately his execution.”

Mr Catchpole who went to live with his sister in Colchester, Essex, later found the tyres on his car slashed in August 2014 after he parked it in a place where Deferia knew he was going to be, said Mr Jackson

He added that Deferia had used a fake Twitter account set up by her father to follow Mr Catchpole’s sister Sarah Spinks account on social media.

The fake account was used to post a message to Mrs Spinks in July 2014, remarking about the death of her first husband 13 years previously.

Mr Jackson said the tweet left Mrs Spinks distressed and was an attempt to intimidate her.

Mrs Spinks who sympathised with her brother after his split from Deferia received an anonymous note posted through her door in Colchester, Essex, saying: “This is your last chance. You know what you have done. Shut your mouth or see what happens.”

Mr Jackson said that a pay as you go phone, registered by Deferia as belonging to her on her iPhone, had been used to make calls to police falsely alleging that Mr Catchpole was a drug dealer being targeted by men with firearms

He described it as “a false trail” to try and convince police that Mr Catchpole’s murder was due t a drugs vendetta.

Mr Jackson said texts sent by one of the hitmen revealed that they expected to be paid £12,500.

Deferia denies the charge.

The trial continues.

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